Exhibitions that were…

A friend has asked which exhibitions I enjoyed most during 2009. What a fabulous question! I liked the idea of recalling the many exhibitions I’ve visited in Melbourne, and making some attempt to choose my favourite(s).

The “Archive Listing” page will provide the interested reader with all of the posts I’ve written, including the many exhibition reviews. While I won’t go through all of the ones I’ve visited, I’ll make special mention of a handful (in chronological order, just for fun) and why they caught my attention.

• Bettina Speckner @ Gallery Funaki, March 2009
  this was a wonderful collection; her detail on the back of the brooches in particular was captivating; the colouring and shapes somewhat evocative and quite nostalgic; just beautiful; this exhibition started a continuing love affair
• ‘The Fox and the Crow‘ @ Guildford Lane Gallery, March 2009
  I particularly enjoyed the combination of frail thin fabrics and metal adornments; the lighting and wall-projection made it most memorable
• ‘Dressed to Rule: Imperial Robes of China‘ @ NGV, May 2009
  while not jewellery-focussed, my love of embroidery on silk was sated here
• Natasha Dusenjko ‘Babel‘ @ Craft Vic, May 2009
  again, not a metal in sight; Natasha’s installation made such a strong impression on me, that I would very happily name it my favourite non-jewellery exhibition of the year
• ‘Schmuck 2009‘ @ RMIT Gallery, May 2009
  the month of May was generous to art-lovers indeed! regular readers will well know my enjoyment of this exhibition
• ‘It’s got legs‘ @ RMIT School of Art Gallery, September 2009
  the postgraduate show at RMIT was full of fabulous pieces
• Carlier Makigawa ‘October 2009‘ @ Gallery Funaki, October 2009
  the larger scale objects were incredibly beautiful and somehow sad (in a yearning and loving way) for me
• Marcos Davidson ‘The House of Hallmarcos‘ @ Until Never, November 2009
  the design of this exhibition is one all artists, regardless of media, should take note of

There were many others that were wonderful, but I cannot list them all! Also, there were many outstanding individual works within groups exhibitions too…

I’d love to hear from readers and regular exhibition visitors – what was your favourite exhibition in 2009?

Marcos Davidson ‘The House of Hallmarcos’ @ Until Never

Following a tip from a comment left on a recent popular story, and the positive experience of an artistically inclined friend, I decided to see Marcos Davidson’s new exhibition ‘The House of Hallmarcos‘ at Until Never. Thankfully the gallery is open until 6pm on a Saturday, so I could fit a visit into an otherwise very busy fortnight.

Walking into the gallery room above Hosier Lane was breathtaking. The natural light coming in through the huge warehouse window is lovely. The installation is to behold – I appreciate when an artist considers the presentation and physical context of the work as much as the individual pieces themselves.

photograph courtesy of gallery; photograph credits: Zac Caley and Amac

Exhibition media states:
“Featuring three major bodies of works: Sonic Selectors 2001-2009, Head Takers 2009 & Lapidem 2006.
The exhibition will also include an installation of paintings acknowledging and illuminating the street origins of the Marcos Davidson family tree of Hallmarks – The House of Hallmarcos.
Objet trouve from Marcos’ workshop will be transplanted to the gallery, like a ice-core sample from Antarctica, providing a glimpse into the world of the artists muses and appreciations.”

The left side of the gallery is an installation of the a ‘wunderkammer’ feel, surrounded by small paintings of hallmarks that Marcos uses which had their evolution in icons he used in his street-art origins (above). The right wall has a simple yet stunningly presented line of carved bakelite and fine silver rings (below) – a set of ‘Head Takers’ mask shapes, and ‘Sonic Selectors’ miniature musical references.

photograph courtesy of gallery; photograph credits: Zac Caley and Amac

Also shown is the ‘Lapidem 2006‘ which you would probably recognise from the 2006 Colin and Cecily Rigg Award; carved mask; carved emu egg set in a cup form in the spirit of early Australian silversmithing; and some assemblages. There are great images on the Until Never site and blog.

Among the items from Marcos’s collection brought to the gallery is a large collection of unused army-issue sewing kits, housed in the glass gallery desk – they’re poignant in the sense of what could have happened to them, and I’m curious how it is that they still exist as a group and the artist found them.

The sub-title of the exhibition is ‘Celebrating 30 years of continual practice, from 1979 to 2009‘; and the artist described as ‘Gold and Silversmith, Gem-Hunter, Metallurgist & Plastiquairian‘.

photograph courtesy of gallery; photograph credits: Zac Caley and Amac

The mask shapes in the ‘Head Takers’ rings reminded me of the pieces said to influence Picasso’s ‘African period’ which lead into his cubist experiments. It’s a bit eerie really that this reference is linked to the material by time – bakelite is said to have been developed during 1907-09, and this period in Picasso’s development is defined as 1907-09. A small little coincidence that is pleasing to me!

I have only lived in Melbourne for six years; but the inclusion of glyphs that Marcos used in street art in the 80s may bring other connections and memories for those who saw these in their original context.

Marcos Davidson ‘The House of Hallmarcos‘ is at Until Never until 15th November 2009.

Update (4th November): I foolishly forgot to include a link to Marcos’s own website – sorry about that! It’s here, and it has some gorgeous pieces… especially the averian lozenge ring